Book promo…

Posted on by September 26, 2025

First up is John Van Stry with his second novel in his Valley of Fire series, To Hand

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

In a fractured galaxy ruled by AI-powered ships and their interfaced crews, ex-privateer Wolf and his enigmatic partner Mariella join the King’s Navy to secure their future. Wolf’s rare interface, a clue to his heritage, fuels his unmatched piloting skills, while Mariella grapples with her noble past. As interstellar war looms, they navigate alliances and cunning enemies. Reunited in the heat of battle, their bond faces the ultimate test. With battleships rising and unlikely allies emerging, Wolf and Mariella stand at the heart of a galactic storm.

In this thrilling sequel to MISPLACED, love, loyalty, and hidden powers collide in a saga of cosmic intrigue and valor.

Next up is Scott Shad with his new boys novel, Meteor Men

The blurb-

Join five adventurous boys as they kick off an unforgettable summer as the Meteor Men! These young explorers are eager to find buried treasure. Inspired by their science teacher, who shared the thrilling tale of a million-dollar meteorite unearthed using cutting-edge tech they dive into a high-stakes quest to hunt for their own cosmic fortune. Armed with library research, borrowed gadgets, and sheer determination, they gear up to survey local farms. But they’re not alone—rival bully and his crew are hot on the trail, sparking epic clashes and aerial showdowns that test the boys’ wits and teamwork.

Packed with STEM excitement, clever inventions, and pulse-pounding rivalries, this story celebrates curiosity, friendship, and the thrill of discovery. Perfect for boys 10-15 who love science, history, and outdoor adventures, Meteor Men shows how a simple summer plan can lead to extraordinary finds. Will the Meteor Men strike it rich, or will unexpected twists ground their dreams?

Last but not least, Raconteur Press as anthology #61 out, Planks and Plunder

The blurb-

These yarns o’ piracy take place in the near future, or the far past, in worlds almost too fantastical and mayhap too glacial, eerie, and everywhere in between. You’ll come upon pirates ruthless, some with hearts of gold, some on a mission, and some learning a thing or two about themselves in the thick of things. We may be outlaws, but we still breathe the same life-giving mixture of oxygen and whatnot as the haughtiest king and humblest Calesian civilian. We’re just more honest and forthright about our intentions. Savvy?

Wench! Another round for my fine crew. We need to slake our thirst during the telling of these fine tales…

Highly recommend ALL of these!!! Enjoy!!!

Snerk…

Posted on by September 25, 2025

Greta Thunberg and her flotilla were bombarded with Abba music after hijackers intercepted their radios, according to reports.

GB News reported that the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) blamed Israel for the stunt, which looped Abba’s “Lay All Your Love On Me” for hours, a possible jab at Thunberg’s Swedish roots.

The flotilla is part of a movement of dozens of boats from 44 countries carrying food, water and medicine to civilians in Gaza. Several ships in the fleet were targeted in the musical attack, GB News reported.

Full article HERE.

This shows how little these folks know about pretty much everything other than getting publicity…

ROFTLMAO! I… snerk…just too funny!!!

About time!!!

Posted on by September 24, 2025

California has taken nuclear power plants offline while increasing mandates for wind and solar, resulting in statewide power shortages and power outages. Nuclear power is clean and reliable; wind and solar power, while “clean,” are unreliable, significantly more expensive, and emit the dreaded greenhouse gases (but don’t tell anyone that part).

There have been power outages since the 2006 California Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32, was passed by the Legislature and signed into law. The California Public Utilities Commission has rejected previous attempts, but following the deadly 2018 fires, allowed power shutoffs under the guise of protecting public safety.

And now, one of the largest solar projects and bird killers is quietly shutting down. The $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Project in the Mohave Desert, which received $1.6 billion dollars in federal loan guarantees from the Obama administration, is shutting down. Larger than the Obama Solyndra solar scandal, the Ivanpah project is another California boondoggle that harmed the environment more than it provided much needed electricity to the state’s 40 million residents.

And Ivanpah incinerates more than 6,000 birds a year.

Full article, HERE from California Globe and HERE from NY Post.

This is another one of those projects that NEVER should have been built. Some of our power generation folks looked at this back in the 2000s and said it was ‘old’ tech. The project had to use natural gas to heat the boilers before the sun’s rays would actually make the turbines spin. Photovoltaic systems were already being manufactured and distributed (like the panels on houses).

And it never made the amount of power it was supposed to. Various reports said the ‘best’ it ever did was 70% of output, others said it ‘averaged’ 43% of output when it worked.

Ivanpah was touted as a replacement for San Onofre which was shut down in 2013 over the issues with replacement steam generators that had been installed in 2010 and 2011, with Barbara Boxer leading the move to close it ‘due to the significant’ regulatory and ‘administrative processes and appeals’ (read lawsuits), that would delay any restart of the plant.

And the loss of the nuclear plant, coupled with the lack of production from Ivanpah increased the already problematic brownouts and power outages that plague California even today.

Funny thing… California organizations own approximately 25% of Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona… But they don’t get ‘free’ power from it, they have to pay market rate. The Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) holds a 230 MW share of the plant’s electricity, but if they need more to handle high loads, that cost goes up significantly.

I’ve always found this interesting, since a lot of California folks say they won’t own ANY nuclear plants as soon as they can shut down Diablo Canyon, which was originally scheduled to close in 2025. Now California has extended the license to 2030 for ‘stability’. The NRC authorized them out to 2045, but the California Coastal Commission and econazis have sued to close the plant anyway… That would take down 7-9% of California’s power generation…

Sooooo, in summary, California wasted $2.1 billion on a failed attempt for ‘green’ energy, screwed up the local environment, and killed a bunch of birds every year. While that would not buy a nuclear plant, it would probably have paid for at least 1/3 to 1/4 of one which would last 50 years of clean, stable ‘green’ energy…

Sigh…

Library benefit anthology!!!

Posted on by September 23, 2025

We are coming to the end of the open date for the Tom Burnett benefit anthology for our little local library. We will send you a contract, rights revert to you in a year, but you are donating your story for the anthology.

Due date is 30 September, the title this year is Library Creatures! What kind of creatures, you may ask?

Any one(s) you want to write! 5000-8000 words, please submit in MS Word format 12 pt Times New Roman font.

Please send your story to me Oldnfo (at) gmail (dot) com.

Cedar Sanderson will be donating the cover in addition to having given me a story already!!!

So far, we’ve raised a little over $4000 for the library’s children’s program, so we are making a small difference!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

Huh…

Posted on by September 22, 2025

I didn’t expect somebody to stand up to ABC/Disney…

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Monday that it would preempt ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” when it returns Tuesday night.

“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company’s statement read.

Sinclair, which operates 30 ABC affiliates, previously joined Nexstar, another owner of ABC affiliates, in preempting Kimmel’s show last week after he made controversial comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin.

Full article, HERE from Fox News.

I found it interesting that Sinclair also made this statement- “Regardless of ABC’s plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”

Italics mine… It’s interesting that suddenly there are concerns about ‘standards’…

Since there is definitely a lack of standards apparent with ‘some’ of the programs on TV today, according to friends. I don’t watch much other than news programs and some sports stuff, and haven’t for years.

I also wonder whether or not Nexstar, the other syndicator will put Kimmel back on, as they apparently haven’t said anything one way or the other.

According to some folks that have looked into it, Kimmel is another one that is not making money for Disney/ABC.  What will be interesting is which advertisers will come back. After all, for Disney/ABC it is all about the bottom line $$$.

Or is this a ‘play’ by Disney/ABC for sympathy???

I dunno… sigh

A little humor…

Posted on by September 21, 2025

To start the week…

Back in battery, survived P-Con, had fun got to see old friends and make new ones! I’ll take that for a win! Now on with the humor…

Random Thoughts as I Grow Older

Wouldn’t it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes; come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller!

Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven’t met yet!

I don’t trip over things; I do random gravity checks!

I don’t need anger management. I need people to stop ticking me off!

Old age is coming at a really bad time.

When I was a child I thought nap time was a punishment … now, as a grown up, it just feels like a small vacation.

The biggest lie I tell myself is … “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.”

Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can & the friends to post my bail when I finally snap!

I don’t have gray hair; I have “wisdom highlights”. It seems I’m becoming very wise.

My people skills are just fine. It’s my tolerance for idiots that needs work.

Teach your daughter how to shoot, because a restraining order is just a piece of paper.

The kids text me “plz” which is shorter than please. I text back “no” which is shorter than “yes”.

I’m going to retire and live off of my savings. Not sure what I’ll do the second week.

When did it change from “We the people” to “screw the people”?

Even duct tape can’t fix stupid … but it can muffle the sound!

Why do I have to press one for English when you’re just gonna transfer me to someone I can’t understand anyway?

Of course I talk to myself: sometimes I need expert advice.

Oops! Did I roll my eyes out loud?

At my age “Getting lucky” means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for.

Chocolate comes from cocoa which is a tree … that makes it a plant, which means … chocolate is salad!

Out of pocket…

Posted on by September 17, 2025

Off to P-Con down in Fort Worth… link HERE.

If you’re in the area, drop by and say hello! We’ll be at the Holiday Inn DFW Airport South.

14320 Centre Station Drive
Ft Worth, TX 76155

Blogging should resume on Monday. Go read the folks on the sidebar, they rite gud!

Yay!!!

Posted on by September 16, 2025

Peter Grant’s GSG funded!!!

THAT is excellent news, but he’s going to leave it open through the end of the month. Why you might ask???

Well, realistically, the surgeries he’s looking at are going to be more than $100,000 even with him paying cash. And frankly, after taxes the money they’ve raised isn’t going to be enough.

He and Dorothy had thought about a higher goal, but didn’t want to seem ‘greedy’. So let’s see if we can help them out a bit more!!! The more we give the less they will have to come out of pocket for.

The link to Peter’s GiveSendGo is HERE.

As a side note- We talked a little about this on the livestream yesterday, and if they ever manage to get it to court, it could literally be five to ten years before/if they see anything.

Thank you in advance!

The screaming…

Posted on by September 15, 2025

Is epic as lefties lose their jobs after celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death.

What the lefties don’t seem to understand is that freedom of speech is NOT being quashed. What is happening is people are being held ACCOUNTABLE for what they are saying… There is a huge difference between the two.

And they are throwing hissy fits about being ‘cancelled’, but had no problems with it or people losing jobs when they did it to others.

No, we’re not going to play the ‘whataboutism’ game, or the moral equivalency game either…

Those ships have ‘sailed’…

Accountability- It goes both ways now…

Trust me, this is a LOT better that the other options available to us. Start teaching civics again, and teach people how to actually TALK to each other, not AT each other.

A little humor…

Posted on by September 14, 2025

To start the week…

What Love means to a 4 to 8 year old. The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think.

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.

So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’

Rebecca- age 8

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‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.

You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’

Billy – age 4

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‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’

Karl – age 5

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‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’

Chrissy – age 6

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‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’

Terri – age 4

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‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’

Danny – age 7

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‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.

My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss’

Emily – age 8

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‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’

Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)

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‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’

Nikka – age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

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‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.’

Noelle – age 7

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‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’

Tommy – age 6

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During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.

C indy – age 8

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‘My mommy loves me more than anybody

You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.’

Clare – age 6

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‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’

Elaine-age 5

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‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’

Chris – age 7

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Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’

Mary Ann – age 4

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‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’

Lauren – age 4

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‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image) Karen – age 7

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‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’

Mark – age 6

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‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’ Jessica – age 8

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And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’